Complete list of press releases

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Jon Coifman, 212-616-1325, jcoifman@edf.org

(NEW YORK – December 17, 2014) “The risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and unconventional oil and natural gas development are so serious, EDF believes that every state has the right to decide whether or not development is consistent with the interests and wishes of its citizens. New York State has made its decision — but with or without drilling here, New York remains the country’s fifth largest natural gas consumer, with an extensive network of gas transmission and distribution lines. Methane leaking from these systems has more than 80 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe. State officials and the companies that operate these pipes need to find and fix those leaks as part of the ongoing effort to modernize New York’s electric and gas infrastructure and accelerate the state’s transition to cleaner, renewable, and more efficient energy.”

• Mark Brownstein, Associate Vice President, US Climate and Energy Program 

(Washington, D.C, — December 17, 2014) Strengthening national smog standards is necessary to protect public health, and is achievable through common sense and cost-effective solutions, according to Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) testimony before a U.S. Senate Subcommittee today.

The Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety held a hearing today about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to strengthen the national standard for ground-level ozone, more commonly known as smog. 

“Strengthened ozone standards are urgently needed to protect public health and many highly cost-effective, common sense clean air measures are available to help secure these needed health protections,” said Vickie Patton, EDF General Counsel, who testified today’s hearing. “Children, in particular, are considered the most at risk group because they breathe more air per unit of body weight, are more active outdoors, are more likely to have asthma than adults, and are still developing their lungs and other organs.”  

(Read Patton’s full testimony here) 

Smog is a dangerous air pollutant that is linked to asthma attacks and premature death.

In November, EPA proposed updating our national smog standards from their current level of 75 parts per billion to 65 to 70 parts per billion. EPA is also seeking comments on establishing a health standard of 60 parts per billion, and the scientific record shows that this level would provide the strongest public health protections for Americans. 

Today, Patton and others testified about the strong legal and scientific foundations for EPA’s proposal, and about the ability to meet those standards.

“Currently, 90 percent of areas designated nonattainment for the 1997 ozone health standards now meet those standards,” Patton said in her testimony. “The U.S. has already taken steps over the past few years that help to cost-effectively reduce ozone smog pollution and help restore healthy air.  Those protections include the Tier 3 tailpipe standards, supported by the U.S. auto industry, which will slash smog-forming pollution from new cars beginning in model year 2017 and the lower sulfur gasoline requirements will reduce pollution from every car on the road, and EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan which will substantially reduce smog-forming pollutants from power plant smokestacks nationwide.” 

EPA will accept public comments on the proposal to strengthen the smog standards through March 17, 2015. The agency is expected to issue a final decision by Oct. 1, 2015.

You can read more of Patton’s testimony here, and read more about the smog standards on EDF’s website.

(CUBA – Dec. 17, 2014) President Obama’s historic decision today to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba is expected to pave the way for true environmental cooperation between the United States and Cuba on ocean conservation, the most productive area of bilateral cooperation between the two countries for the past decade.

“The President’s announcement means environmental protection will no longer hit a wall at the Cuban border,” said Dan Whittle, director, EDF Cuba Oceans Program and Senior Attorney. “Our work is all about knowledge transfer – taking the best practices of scientists, managers, and fishermen from around the world and helping apply them in the ocean ecosystem we share with Cuba. The door is now wide open to a new level of cooperation, technology transfer, investment, and research not seen since 1959, which is great news for the oceans and the people who depend on them for food and livelihoods. We have a real opportunity to move forward.”

For the past 13 years, operating under a special license from the U.S. government, EDF has been working with partners in Cuba to determine ways of growing the economy while protecting the country’s extraordinary natural heritage. Cuba retains many of the Caribbean’s most pristine coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps – home to sea turtles, reef fish, sharks, dolphins and manatees. The oceans we share with Cuba, through the Florida straits, Gulf Stream, and the waters of the Caribbean and Atlantic, hold a treasure trove of marine life critical to sustaining ecological diversity, and providing more fish in the sea, more food on the plate, and more economic prosperity.

“President Obama’s historic announcement will allow EDF and our partners to expand our work to promote scientific exchange and environmental dialog,” said EDF President Fred Krupp, who has traveled to Cuba half a dozen times to meet with scientists and officials there. “During our visits, we heard from national and local officials about their vision for protecting oceans and marine life while growing their economy. We have built strong relationships with them that have led to positive results for the ocean and helped build tourism. The President’s policy provides a new opportunity to build on this foundation of trust and cooperation, and restore our oceans into a sustainable, enduring resource.”

“With normalized relations come great opportunity, but also great challenges,” noted Whittle. “The doors are now open to U.S. travel and investment, and the rigor of Cuba’s environmental rules will be tested. As money begins to flow into Cuba, it is critical that we continue our work helping Cuba build upon its impressive environmental protections and double down. EDF believes the environment will fuel economic growth, but we cannot allow the environment to be sacrificed in the process.”

EDF’s partnership with Cuba includes the following projects.

Marine protected areas: One of EDF’s early initiatives was working with Cuban scientists on identifying marine areas around the island that needed to be protected. We helped to convene workshops across the country with Cuban scientists to identify the most important nursery areas, coral reefs, sea grass beds and other habitats. The result was that Cuba set a target for 25 percent of its coastal waters to be protected in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Today the country is about halfway to its goal, with more than 100 MPAs and counting.

Conserving sharks: In 2013, EDF helped convene an international conference in Cuba on protecting sharks that migrate across the boundaries of many countries. As a result, Cuba committed to develop a national plan of action for conserving sharks as part of a voluntary United Nations agreement, and we are working with leaders to help shape the plan.

Fishing rights pilots: With our guidance, Cuba has launched a three-year SOS Pesca initiative. The project aims to equip local leaders to manage fisheries sustainably by combining fishing rights with sustainable harvest controls and marine reserves. Pilot projects are underway in two villages along the Gulf of Ana Maria on Cuba’s south coast: Guayabal and Playa Florida.

(AUSTIN – December 16, 2014) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), as outlined in its new report, confirms there will be minimal impact to Texas’ power grid from meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan, which would set the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants.

ERCOT found the proposed EPA standards pose a minimal incremental impact to the power grid once other clean air protections already adopted or proposed have been implemented. The impact would be as few as 200 megawatts, which equates to less than one coal-fired power plant.

Beginning in January 2015, power companies across the state must comply with EPA’s bedrock clean air regulations, including the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), the Mercury Air Toxics Standard (MATS), and others. Power companies will install control technologies to reduce multiple, not just one, pollutants, thereby making compliance with EPA’s subsequent regulations easier and more cost-effective. Further, ERCOT’s report demonstrates that Texas will be well-positioned to meet the lower-carbon goals set forth in the Clean Power Plan by taking a minimal amount of additional aging coal plants offline by 2029.  

“ERCOT’s report shows that Texas can go a long way toward complying with the proposed Clean Power Plan by meeting other clean air safeguards, which Texas power companies have had years to prepare for. If ERCOT has any concerns over future reliability, it’s not because of EPA. It’s due to some Texas power companies wasting resources on aging coal plants and not harnessing the state’s abundant and affluent clean energy resources,” said Jim Marston, Director of Environmental Defense Fund’s Texas Office.

“Energy efficiency, solar rooftop, and demand response are gaining ground every day in Texas and have proven to be vital resources on the power grid and help reduce electricity costs for Texas homes and businesses. Energy efficiency, in particular, provides significant reductions in power plant emissions, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone-forming pollutants, and has a four-to-one payback on investment. This is the type of performance worth investing in,” added Marston.

“Texas can no longer rely on the status quo, ignoring market forces that are making coal uneconomical. A clean energy economy is upon us, and the only thing standing in Texas’ way to lead this new market is industry scare tactics,” said Marston.   

ERCOT, which manages 90 percent of Texas’ electric grid, acknowledges that Texas has an opportunity for more energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed solar programs to help lower electricity demand and reduce costs for Texans. A holistic view of ERCOT’s report emphasizes a need to implement more flexible technologies – like energy efficiency, demand response, and energy storage – that can respond quickly in times of need, require little to no water, improve air quality, and provide stability to the power grid. In fact, according to independent evaluations from the Brattle Group, ERCOT could:

• Deploy 7,500 megawatts of fast-ramping, quick-to-market demand response;
• Cut projected peak demand growth in half with demand response and expanded energy efficiency alone; and
• Integrate several thousand megawatts of distributed energy storage to improve grid reliability.

Taken together, demand response, energy efficiency, and energy storage (both distributed and grid-scale) would help integrate more renewable energy on the power grid and reduce reliability concerns.

Some Texas electric utilities that recognized what was on the horizon and began prudent planning are well-positioned to meet EPA regulations because they already installed pollution control technologies, retired inefficient, water-intensive coal plants, and integrated more clean energy resources, according to the Texas Tribune.

As the nation’s number one emitter of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the number two emitter of sulfur dioxide (SO2), and the number one emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), Texas citizens will receive the most health benefits from pollution controls and a shift toward lower-carbon energy resources. In fact, CSAPR and MATS together will save up to 3,000 lives and provide upwards of $25 billion in health benefits in Texas alone. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Jon Coifman, 212-616-1325, jcoifman@edf.org
Virginia Limmiatis, 315-452-7708, Virginia.Limmiatis@nationalgrid.com

(NEW YORK, December 16, 2014) Researchers testing new ways to find and quantify methane leaking from underground natural gas pipes have identified more than 200 locations throughout the city of Syracuse where they found methane escaping from the local gas system (see maps here). While leaks like these rarely pose an immediate safety threat, unburned natural gas – which is principally methane – has a powerful effect on the climate, carrying approximately 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over 20 years. 

The tests are part of an ongoing demonstration project by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which has been working closely with the gas utility National Grid to validate the technology and verify results in several of its service territories. Researchers took measurements along roughly 500 miles of Syracuse roadways, tracing National Grid’s natural gas lines underneath the city.

“Methane is escaping at many points along the supply chain that brings natural gas from the well to customers across the country. Stopping these leaks represents a huge opportunity to cut greenhouse pollution faster and at less cost than focusing only on carbon dioxide emissions alone,” said Jonathan Peress, EDF Air Policy Director for Natural Gas. “Better technologies and stronger policy will also make it easier for utilities to find and fix leaks, and to maintain the integrity of their pipes.”

Aging pipes are a growing challenge for utilities in many parts of the country, as both utilities and regulatory officials seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than 30 percent of National Grid’s New York pipes are made from cast iron or other material prone to corrosion and leakage, according to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. More than half the utility’s New York pipe is over 50 years old.

“National Grid has a comprehensive safety and reliability strategy that includes accelerating natural gas pipeline replacement to reduce leaks. Through our partnership with EDF we have access to technology and data that adds valuable insight to the programs and technologies we already have in place,” said Susan Fleck, vice president, Pipeline Safety for National Grid. “We continue to take a leadership role on a national level and support initiatives underway to reduce methane emissions. The significant investment that comes with these improvements can have an impact on our customers. We are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by working with our regulators and elected officials to develop appropriate funding mechanisms and policies to achieve these goals.”

Natural gas utilities routinely monitor their systems for safety, as required by state and federal regulations. But current methods involve specialized personnel and equipment, and until now it was difficult to determine how much gas is escaping from a given a leak. While major leaks are typically fixed quickly, vast numbers of others wait months or years for repair.

“New York is the fifth largest consumer of natural gas in the U.S. Now is the chance for New York to take a more thoroughly integrated approach to gas delivery system focusing on both near-term and long-term risks,” said Peress. “Reducing methane emissions from the existing gas delivery system should be a priority, along with the state’s efforts to modernize the electric grid. Together, both are essential to reducing the state’s greenhouse gas pollution and enhancing the resiliency and reliability of the energy infrastructure that New Yorkers depend on.”

EDF also recommends that regulators require utilities to provide more accessible information to the public about the leaks on their systems and accelerate their pipeline replacement programs. Syracuse is the sixth in a series of communities mapped by EDF, and the findings are typical of cities with similarly aging natural gas infrastructure.

New Mapping Technology

The EDF maps were developed using test equipment mounted on a Google Street View mapping car, under a partnership between EDF and Google Earth Outreach to explore new sensing and analytical technologies to measure environmental indicators in ways that have been difficult or impossible until now, and to make that information more accessible to everybody.

Working with scientists from Colorado State University, EDF has spent two years developing new tools to not only locate, but also accurately assess the amount of gas escaping from even small leaks amid millions of individual readings collected over thousands of miles of roadway. EDF is collaborating with regulators and utilities to validate the findings, which offer a valuable way to focus and accelerate upgrade efforts.

Natural gas utilities around the country routinely monitor their systems for safety, as required by state and federal rules. But current methods involve specialized personnel and equipment, and it is generally difficult to determine how much gas is escaping from a given a leak. While major leaks are typically fixed quickly, vast numbers of others wait months or years for repair.

EDF reminds users that information in the maps does not reflect real-time conditions. The data generated based on months of testing and analysis, with each leak verified with at least two sampling runs on dates noted on the maps. As always, EDF urges anyone who smells gas, or is otherwise concerned about a leak in their neighborhood to contact their utility immediately.

The EDF algorithms will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific paper later this year, and made available on an open-source basis. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Jon Coifman, 212-616-1325, jcoifman@edf.org 

(NEW YORK, December 16, 2014) Researchers testing new ways to detect and quantify methane leaking from underground natural gas pipes have identified almost a dozen locations in the city of Burlington where gas was escaping from the local distribution system (see map here). Small leaks like those detected in Burlington rarely pose an immediate safety threat, but unburned natural gas – which is principally methane – has a powerful effect on the climate, carrying approximately 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over 20 years.

The tests are part of an ongoing demonstration project by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Compared to thousands of leaks uncovered in other communities mapped by the project, including Boston and parts of New York City, Burlington fares relatively well. But as the state’s natural gas system continues to age and expand, EDF says that Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) and state officials who oversee them need to strengthen policies and procedures for the finding leaks and replacing older pipes.

“Methane is escaping at many points along the supply chain that brings natural gas from the well to customer. Stopping these leaks represents a huge opportunity to cut greenhouse pollution faster and at less cost than focusing only on carbon dioxide emissions alone,” said Jonathan Peress, EDF Air Policy Director for Natural Gas. “Better technologies and stronger policy will also make it easier for utilities like VGS to find and fix leaks, and to maintain the integrity of their pipes.”

Researchers took measurements along roughly 100 miles of Burlington roadways following underground lines owned by VGS. EDF is testing new and improved monitoring technology in cities across the U.S. Burlington is the fifth in a series of communities to be mapped so far. All of the data was reported to VGS, which is cooperating with the research.

Vermont is one of a dwindling number of states with no regulations of their own requiring inspection and repair timelines for natural gas pipes, relying instead on less stringent federal rules alone. Roughly seven percent of VGS pipe is nearing the end of its projected 50-year operational lifespan, according to data filed by the utility with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“This is the time for the Vermont Public Service Board, the Department of Public Service and Vermont Gas Systems to get ahead of this issue, before it becomes a costly problem for ratepayers,” said Peress. “The state should follow the lead of its neighboring states by adopting stronger standards for more frequent leak detection and repair, and to make better provisions for funding pipeline replacement.”

Aging pipes have been a growing challenge for utilities in many parts of the country, and the warming effects of methane have drawn increasing attention at the state and federal levels as both utilities and regulators seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Vermont legislature, for example, adopted a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2028.

In addition to new leak detection and repair standards, EDF recommends that the Public Service Department incorporate greenhouse gas emissions reductions attributable to leak and repair into the standard yearly performance reports by Vermont Gas Systems.

New Mapping Technology

The EDF maps were developed using test equipment mounted on a Google Street View mapping car, under a partnership between EDF and Google Earth Outreach to explore new sensing and analytical technologies to measure environmental indicators in ways that have been difficult or impossible until now, and to make that information more accessible to everybody.

Working with scientists from Colorado State University, EDF has spent two years developing new tools to not only locate, but also accurately assess the amount of gas escaping from even small leaks amid millions of individual readings collected over thousands of miles of roadway. EDF is collaborating with regulators and utilities to validate the findings, which offer a valuable way to focus and accelerate upgrade efforts.

Natural gas utilities around the country routinely monitor their systems for safety, as required by state and federal rules. But current methods involve specialized personnel and equipment, and it is generally difficult to determine how much gas is escaping from a given a leak. While major leaks are typically fixed quickly, vast numbers of others wait months or years for repair.

EDF reminds users that information in the maps does not reflect real-time conditions. The data generated based on months of testing and analysis, with each leak verified with at least two sampling runs on dates noted on the maps. All leaks were reported to VGS. As always, EDF urges anyone who smells gas, or is otherwise concerned about a leak in their neighborhood to contact their utility immediately.

The EDF algorithms will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific paper later this year, and made available on an open-source basis. 

(NEW YORK/ LIMA – Dec. 14, 2014)  The annual United Nations climate talks concluded in Lima, Peru, with a narrow outcome that provides some additional clarity on the path to finalizing a new climate agreement next year in Paris, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Expectations for the talks in Lima were always modest, with goals of clarifying how countries will report their “intended nationally determined contributions” in early 2015, and identifying the main elements of the agreement to be negotiated next year and wrapped up in Paris. After going well past their Friday deadline, nations were able to make limited progress on both goals.

“The foot-dragging in Lima is out of step with the urgent signs of climate change that are already apparent in Peru’s melting glaciers and threatened fisheries, as well as around the globe,” said Nathaniel Keohane, Vice President for international climate at EDF. “To finalize an effective climate agreement in Paris next year, negotiators will have to move past the tired tactics and old ways of thinking that were on display these last two weeks.”

Countries go into 2015 needing to focus on the creation of an agreement that facilitates domestic climate action, fosters accountability and increasing ambition, and supports adaptation in the poorest, most vulnerable nations.

“We will not solve climate change with a single UN agreement,” said Keohane. “What an agreement in Paris can do is build a structure that spurs countries to be more ambitious, makes them accountable for their progress, and gives them the confidence that other countries are taking action as well.”

A striking aspect of these negotiations was the increasing presence and visibility of state and provincial governments, who are not formal participants in the talks but in many cases are implementing climate policies of their own. Beginning next year, California will have the world’s first economy-wide emissions trading system, as it extends that program to include transportation fuels. And last month, California and Quebec held their first joint auction, cementing the year-old linkage between the two states’ emissions trading programs. In Lima, Ontario announced that it will host a Climate Summit of the Americas in July, focused on building subnational action.

“Momentum is building in North America on climate action and carbon pricing,” said Derek Walker, Associate Vice President in EDF’s U.S. climate and energy program. “State and provincial leaders do not have to wait for Washington or Ottawa or the UN to take action. They are seizing the opportunity that is in front of them and taking concrete steps to build thriving low-carbon economies.”

The progress made in states and provinces underscores a growing theme: Despite the slow pace of these talks, momentum continues to build on climate action outside the UN negotiations. Public and private sector actors came together at the Leaders Summit in New York in September to launch a number of “working coalitions” on deforestation, agriculture, oil and gas production. The U.S. and China announced major actions on climate change in November. 

“With each passing year, more and more momentum on climate change is building outside the UNFCCC,” said Keohane. “The UN talks remain a valuable forum — the one place where all countries come together to discuss climate change. But as we have seen in the past few months, there are now multiple ways forward on climate change, including direct cooperation between nations, action by states and provinces, and engagement by the private sector. To make progress at the scale and pace required to meet the challenge of climate change, we need to take advantage of every pathway we have.”

(WASHINGTON – December 12, 2014) Fishermen from Bellingham, Washington to Morro Bay, California celebrated a rare, bipartisan legislative victory today, as the Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific Act (“REFI Pacific Act”), passed in the U. S. Senate.

The Act lowers the interest rate on a 2003 federal loan that reduced the size of the West Coast groundfish trawl fleet. Payments on the federal loan are automatically deducted each time a vessel delivers its catch to a processing plant in Washington, Oregon or California. Whiting fishermen who deliver their catch to “motherships” also make automatic payments.

When the fleet’s size was reduced through the industry-sponsored voluntary buyback in 2003, the interest rate on payments was set at 6.97%, significantly higher than current rates. The REFI Pacific Act resets the interest on the loan to the Treasury rate and extends the loan term to 45 years

“It’s very encouraging to see a bill like this make it through Congress with support from both parties,” said Michelle Norvell, executive director of the Fort Bragg (CA) Groundfish Association. “It gives small-boat fishermen a bit of breathing room while we continue to seek solutions to high regulatory costs associated with the fishery. With passage of this legislation, fishermen are in a better position to stick with the fishery during rough periods, and weather the changes ahead.”

Total annual savings to the fleet of approximately 120 active vessels is estimated at over one million dollars per year. That figure could increase as the fishery stabilizes and fishermen see higher revenues.

Conservationists joined with fishermen in welcoming passage of the Act. “West Coast trawlers generally had a good year in 2014, with major sustainability announcements that recognize strong conservation practices employed by fishermen. The fleet is positioned for a turnaround, but operating costs do threaten the future of this fishery,” said Shems Jud, west coast regional director, oceans, EDF. “The REFI Pacific Act comes at the right time. Going into 2015 we are guardedly optimistic, and this bipartisan legislation is one reason for that.”

Chief sponsors of the Act were Rep. Jaime Herrera Buetler (R-WA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Additional House members who championed the legislation included Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Jared Huffman (D-CA). These legislators, along with the Act’s several cosponsors, represent West Coast ports that depend on a vibrant commercial fishing industry.

“This was a good-government issue, as well as a business-cost issue.” said Heather Mann, of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative. “When the loan was originally made, the government tacked on a risk premium, as if they are in business to make a profit for shareholders. But that’s not the role of government in a buyback. There is effectively zero risk when loan payments are deducted at the time of delivery.”

Exacerbating the buyback’s cost burden to fishermen, the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to implement a system for repaying the loan for more than 18 months after it was authorized. That resulted in over $4 million in additional interest costs to fishermen.

“This is like your bank lending you the money for a home, and then refusing to tell you where to mail your payments,” continued Mann. “So, with over $20 million in payments made, and still owing nearly as much as we borrowed initially, the bill’s sponsors understood how important this was to the future of our industry. Refinancing this debt under more favorable conditions is critical for the West Coast fleet.”

(PINEDALE, Wyoming—Dec. 10, 2014) The Wyoming Air Quality Advisory Board today approved measures that would reduce smog and improve air quality in the state’s Upper Green River Basin ozone nonattainment area. The proposal, if passed by the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council next year, will require oil and gas operators to adopt sensible, cost effective measures such as regular leak detection inspections on existing well sites and compressor stations to reduce regional air pollution.

“These new rules are a significant step toward reducing leaks from oil and gas equipment and helping restore healthy air to the citizens of Pinedale and surrounding communities. This marks the first time the state has moved forward on rules that target older, existing sources of oil and gas pollution — a strong precedent as other parts of Wyoming and the country grapple with the impacts of oil and gas drilling on healthy air. 

“While we believe there is room to improve this proposal as it moves to the EQC, we strongly support the AQAB’s approval of these measures. Many aspects of the proposal again demonstrate Wyoming’s tradition of national leadership on clean air measures for oil and gas activities.”

• Jon Goldstein, Senior Energy Policy Manger

“This rider makes it all the more essential that we dig in and get good conservation in place, fast. Time is one thing the greater sage grouse does not have. Delaying the process can work if and only if there is no delay in aggressive, creative, on-the-ground efforts to protect the species; otherwise, further declines in the next year could lead to even greater threats to the bird and to local economies.

“We must nurture the productive partnerships that have already been developed in sage grouse country to promote solutions like habitat exchanges that benefit both sage grouse and the Western way of life.”

• Eric Holst, Senior Director of Working Lands at Environmental Defense Fund

(NEW ORLEANS – December 9, 2014)Today, leading national and local conservation groups released a report outlining 19 priority projects for restoring the Mississippi River Delta following the 2010 Gulf oil disaster.

Restoring the Mississippi River Delta for People and Wildlife: Recommended Projects and Prioritieswas jointly authored by conservation groups working together on Mississippi River Delta restoration – Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – and describes a suite of restoration projects that would collectively reverse wetlands loss and help protect New Orleans and other coastal communities from storms. The project recommendations include sediment diversions, freshwater diversions, marsh creation, barrier island reconstruction, ridge restoration, shoreline protection and hydrological modifications. The proposed project solutions can work in tandem to not only build but also sustain new wetlands along Louisiana’s coast.

The report is aimed at informing a series of decisions that will be ultimately made for funds flowing from the Gulf oil disaster, including those to be made by Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council). The federal-state Council is tasked with implementing a comprehensive restoration plan to include a list of projects prioritized for their impact on the Gulf ecosystem. The Council recently released a list of projects and programs proposed for funding with oil spill penalty money.

“The Mississippi River Delta was ground zero for the Gulf oil disaster,” said David Muth, National Wildlife Federation’s director of Gulf restoration. “These project recommendations, if selected and implemented efficiently, could begin in earnest the wholesale restoration of one of the most ecologically and economically important areas in the entire country. The health of the Mississippi River Delta is a cornerstone for the health of the entire Gulf Coast. ”

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get this right and start real restoration along the Gulf Coast,” said Doug Meffert, executive director and vice president of Audubon Louisiana. “Our recommendations present a full suite of restoration solutions that work in concert, providing complementary benefits and sustaining one other. We hope the Council will select restoration projects like these, which are scientifically shown to provide the maximum benefit to the entire Gulf ecosystem.”

“By combining different types of projects in the same geographic area – for example, sediment diversions, marsh creation and barrier island restoration – we can build new land quickly and sustain it for the long term,” said Natalie Peyronnin, director of Science Policy for Environmental Defense Fund’s Mississippi River Delta Restoration Program. “This comprehensive approach to restoration is much more effective than using a band-aid approach. We must get restoration right – and get it started now – for the communities, wildlife and economies of the Gulf.”

(LAS VEGAS) The Western Governors Association, representing governors from 19 western states, passed a resolution today that recognizes the need to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas operations.

“The western region is a major center of domestic oil and gas production and this resolution, from the region’s top leaders, signals that states are recognizing the environmental and economic importance of reducing oil and gas methane emissions,” said Dan Grossman, EDF’s Rocky Mountain Regional Director.

Grossman added, “More must be done to ensure strong methane actions are implemented evenly across the country. This resolution serves as yet another sign that methane action is critical to address climate change and reap the maximum economic benefits of our natural resources.”

This WGA resolution follows nationally leading efforts in Colorado, the first state in the nation to directly regulate methane, California also recently passed legislation to reduce leaks from aging natural gas pipelines, and Wyoming is currently considering new leak detection requirements in the Upper Green River Basin. With this resolution WGA joins ongoing efforts from the National Governors Association’s Policy Forum on Responsible Shale Development and the Environmental Council of the States’ Shale Gas Caucus in recognizing the need for multistate efforts to combat methane pollution.

(WASHINGTON – Dec. 5, 2014) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today hailed President Obama’s decision to name Dr. Jane Lubchenco as the Department of State’s first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean. The move signals the growing priority of oceans in the administration and the kind of collaborative approach it takes to restore resilient jobs, communities and biodiversity worldwide.

“Dr. Lubchenco brings the type of leadership critical to halt and reverse overfishing, and to replenish the vast and vital ocean that lets our planet’s coastal communities grow and thrive. As a distinguished scholar, pragmatic policy-maker, and renowned leader of the nation’s foremost scientific institutions, she has advanced our understanding of how best to conserve the landscapes, atmosphere, and especially salt waters on which humanity depends.

Dr. Lubchenco brought about a literal ‘sea change’ in how over the long-term we can safely and sustainably harvest more nourishing food from our oceans. Thanks in part to her leadership, the U.S. has boosted fish populations over the last three years, while increasing fishing industry jobs 23% and fishermen revenues by 30%.

As the first female NOAA Administrator from 2009-2013, Lubencho led this transformation in our nation’s fishery system by embracing fishermen incentives as a way to turn conflict into cooperation, and reverse fragile collapse into a resilient ecological recovery. She spearheaded this change despite shrunken budgets, a crippling recession, a polarized Congress, a changing climate, and as tensions between fishermen and regulators reached an all-time high.

That’s why Dr. Lubchenco’s appointment puts the right person with the right ideas in the right place at the right time. The Environmental Defense Fund is grateful to enjoy her counsel on our board of directors, and we are proud to see her elevated to a position where she can support others around the world in building the best scientific understanding and practical solutions that can result in more fish in the water, more food on the plate, and more prosperous communities.”

• Fred Krupp, president, EDF

(NEW YORK – December 3, 2014) Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Nilda Mesa as Director of the Office of Sustainability, a new office that merges the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability with the Office of Environmental Coordination. The appointment comes in the wake of the Mayor’s September announcement of a plan to cut New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

“Nilda Mesa is a terrific choice to lead New York City’s sustainability initiatives. She brings an impressive track record in government, the private sector, and with communities. As Chief Sustainability Officer at Columbia University, she pioneered the use of cutting-edge clean air technologies as well as worked with diverse stakeholders to deliver environmental results for the university and its neighbors.

We look forward to working with her and her team to reinforce the mayor’s commitment to energy efficiency, clean air, and other clean energy measures that will directly impact the health and well-being of New Yorkers.”

·         Andy Darrell, New York Regional Director

LIMA—(2 December 2014) A new peer-reviewed study, released today at the start of the UN climate conference in Peru, reveals the unprecedented amount of carbon stored within the nine-nation network of Amazonian indigenous territories and protected natural areas. Accepted for publication in Carbon Management, the paper titled “Forest Carbon in Amazonia: The Unrecognized Contributions of Indigenous Territories and Protected Natural Areas,” suggests that protecting the vast amount of carbon stored above ground in the forests of indigenous and protected lands – totaling 55% of the Amazon – is critical to the stability of the global climate as well as to the cultural identity of forest-dwelling peoples and the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.

“We see, for example, that the territories of Amazonian indigenous peoples store almost a third of the region’s aboveground carbon on just under a third of the land area,” said Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) scientist Wayne Walker. “That is more forest carbon than is contained in some of the most carbon-rich tropical countries including Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

Yet the authors also find that nearly 20% of tropical forests across Amazonia are at risk from legal and illegal logging, construction of new roads and dams, and the expansion of commercial agriculture, mining, and petroleum industries, pressures which are exacerbated in many countries because governments have failed to recognize or enforce indigenous land rights.

“We have never been under so much pressure, as this study demonstrates,” said Edwin Vásquez, co-author and president of COICA, the Indigenous Coordinating Body of the Amazon Basin, which represents indigenous groups in the region. “Yet we now have evidence that where there are strong rights, there are standing forests. And knowing that we have more than half of the region’s carbon on indigenous and protected lands, we can tell our leaders so they can strengthen the role and the rights of indigenous forest peoples.”

The paper is the result of a novel north-south collaboration among scientists, Amazonian indigenous and NGO networks, and environmental policy experts who combined satellite measurements of carbon density, field data and boundary records of indigenous territories and protected areas. 

“Until recently, an analysis of this scope would not have been possible; however, the availability of consistent and accurate spatial data across large areas like the Amazon has made a tremendous difference,” according to scientist Alessandro Baccini also of WHRC.

The Amazon is comprised of 2,344 indigenous territories and 610 protected areas, spread across nine countries. These areas are exceptional in terms of biological, cultural and linguistic diversity. They are also considered the cornerstone of Amazon conservation efforts, since they serve as social and natural barriers to the advance of agriculture and forest fires. In countries such as Brazil, with historically high levels of deforestation, indigenous forests and protected areas are seen as vital to combating carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

“This means that international recognition and investment in indigenous and protected areas are essential to ensuring their continued contribution to global climate stability,” said Richard Chase Smith, of Peru’s Instituto Bien Comun. Smith also noted that social conflict in Peru and other Amazonian countries would continue to escalate if governments failed to ensure secure land tenure for their indigenous peoples.

“If all the current plans for economic development in the Amazon are actually implemented, the region would become a giant savanna, with islands of forest,” said Beto Ricardo, of the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) of Brazil. “A vast proportion of indigenous territories and protected areas are increasingly at risk, with potentially disastrous consequences, “including 40% of the indigenous territories, 30% of the protected areas, and 24% of the area that pertains to both.”

In summarizing the implications of their study, the authors conclude that in the near term, maintaining the stability of the atmosphere, together with the range of globally significant environmental and social services provided by Amazonian forests, will depend on whether governments choose to adopt policies that ensure the ecological integrity of indigenous territories and protected areas. Continued destruction of these carbon-rich ecosystems will gradually diminish their ability to function properly, the study says, resulting in a detrimental and potentially irreversible impact on the atmosphere and the planet.

“The solution is to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples to territories that have not yet been officially recognized, and resolve territorial conflicts that pit protected areas against private interests,” said Steve Schwartzman, author and Senior Director of Tropical Forest Policy at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

The study was carried out with participation from the Woods Hole Research Center, the Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG), the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) and Environmental Defense Fund. It was made possible through the financial support of the World Bank, Rainforest Foundation Norway, Ford Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. 

-Link to Carbon Management article: http://www.edf.org/media/new-study-finds-55-carbon-amazon-indigenous-territories-and-protected-lands-much-it-risk

For more information, contact:

Coimbra Sirica: +1 301 943 3287; csirica@burnesscommunications.com

Jennifer Andreassen, Environmental Defense Fund, +1-202-288-4867, jandreassen@edf.org